Women Leaders in Science to Mentor Female College Students

Online program aims to increase the number of women going into scientific fields

by Lesley Kennedy • MORE.com Reporter

There’s a serious lack of women working in the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering and math. But nearly 300 women who are leaders in those fields hope to have a hand in changing that.

The New York Times reports that a six-week online mentorship program called Women in Technology Sharing Online (WitsOn) is kicking off next month for female college students looking to work in STEM areas.

Among the mentors on board, according to the Times: Mae C. Jemison, the first black female astronaut; Jacqueline K. Barton, chairwoman of the Caltech chemistry department; and Padmasree Warrior, chief technology officer at Cisco.

“I think of this as a MOOC—a massive open online course—and a big mentor-fest,” Maria Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College, tells the newspaper. “Getting more women into STEM is my passion in life, and every institution that’s set up mentorship programs for young women has been successful at increasing their numbers, so I think this can make a real difference.”